Challenger drops petition objections

EDWARDSVILLE — A move to challenge petitions to put an $18.8 million jail bond issue on the March ballot has been called off after the challenger realized he could win on a technicality.

Edwardsville resident Steve Jellen said two weeks ago he wanted to challenge the petitions — not because he opposes the vote, but because he objects to the way the signatures were gathered.

Jellen said Thursday that checks of the signatures on the ballot matched the names of people on the voter registration rolls.

However, he and his friend, attorney Jack Daugherty, noted that the petition gatherers failed to include the street addresses of the people who signed. That would have resulted in all the petitions being thrown out.

Jellen said he has not been opposed to a vote on the issue since the issue was first discussed publicly; however, he found out that an organization funded by the what he calls the ultra-right wing Koch Brothers had helped gather the petitions.

“These people hate all government,” Jellen said; therefore he wanted to be sure they did not violate any legal boundaries in gathering the names.

He said that, but for the absence of addresses, a random computer check showed that the signatures were apparently legitimate.

The organization that helped the petition along is called Americans for Prosperity, Illinois.

A group called Bonds on the Ballot gathered the signatures. The Americans for Prosperity group carried an article on its website in which one of the leaders of Bonds on the Ballot gave some credit to Americans for Prosperity for its help.

The signatures were a result of a “back door” referendum. The Madison County Board voted to sell the $18.8 million in bonds for badly needed repairs to the Madison County Jail. However, state statute provides for a “back door” referendum. The law provides that if petitions bearing a number equal to 10 percent of voters in the most recent election are filed, the issue must be placed on the ballot.

The required number was about 18,000, but the group gathered about 24,000 names.